Ginkgo

ginkgo, (Ginkgo biloba), also called maidenhair tree, deciduous gymnosperm tree (family Ginkgoaceae), native to China. Ginkgo has been planted since ancient times in Chinese and Japanese temple gardens and is now valued in many parts of the world as a fungus- and insect-resistant ornamental tree. It tolerates cold weather and, unlike most gymnosperms, can survive the adverse atmospheric conditions of urban areas. Although widely cultivated, the plant is listed as an endangered species by the IUCN Red List and is threatened in the wild.

Ginkgo is the only living representative of the order Ginkgoales (division Ginkgophyta), which contained approximately 15 genera that date from the Permian Period (about 298.9 million to 251.9 million years ago). Extinct genera, such as Ginkgoites and Baiera, are known from fossilized leaves that are similar to those of the present-day tree. The ginkgo is often termed a living fossil because it was once unclear whether uncultivated groups of ginkgo could be found in the wild.